Front-delivery mechanism for printing-machines.



Patented Nov. 26, l90l.

SPALCKHAVER. FhONT DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES.

(Application filed Jan. 21, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM SPALOKHAVER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO ROBERT HOE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FRONT-DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR PRINTING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 687,278, dated November 26, 1901.

Application filed January 21, 1901. Serial No. 43,983. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM SPALCKHA- VER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvemeutsin Fron t-Delivery Mechanism for Printing-Machines, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to certain improvements in printing-machines.

This invention has for its object to produce an improved mechanism by which a front delivery may be employed in connection with a single revolutionor drum-cylinder printingmachine.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which like characters of reference indicate the same parts, Figure 1 represents a sectional side elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan view, of so much of a printing-machine as is necessary to illustrate the invention. 1

The machine which has been selected to illustrate the invention is a drum-cylinder machine of the bed-and-cylinder type. The frame of the machine, which may be of any usual or desired construction, is marked 1. Said frame has the usual standards, in which the cylinder-shaft 2 is mounted. The cylinder 3 is provided with a sheet-carrying surface 4, which in this instance is the impression-surface, and is also provided with another surface 5, which operates as a deliverysurface. In the construction shown this surface 5 of the cylinder is made lower than the impression-surface, so that it may not touch the form 6 on the bed 7 as the same returns. This low side of the impression-cylinder is not, however, essential, as the cylinder might be raised and lowered.

As has been stated, the cooperating mem ber of the printing-couple is a reciprocating bed, though it is obvious that any other form of cooperating member might be substituted therefor-as, for instance, a cylinder. The front-delivery mechanism employed may be of any suitable form. In the construction shown such a delivery mechanism is indicated by tapes 8, which pass over supporting-pulleys 9, said mechanism also being provided with a movable switch or bridge 10. This switch 10 is mounted on a rock-shaft 11, which is or may be mounted in the side frames of the machine, said shaft having an arm 12 secured thereto, to which is connected a rod 13, extending down to a cam on the ordinary way cam shaft. (Not shown.) Inasmuch as the particular form of front-delivery mechanism is not material to the invention it has not been fully illustrated. Suitable means for presenting a sheet to the cylinder will be employed, and this means may be varied widely in construction. As shown, it consists of a feed-board having a pivoted flap 14, which is raised and lowered through the agency of a lifter 16, mounted on a shaft 17, suitably journaled in the machine. This shaft has connected to it an arm 18, to which is secured a rod 19, extending downward to the way cam -shaft (not shown) before referred to. Suitable means are also employed to take the sheet from the sheet-presenting means and retain it in position upon the'sheet carrying or supporting surface 4. While these means maybe varied widelyin construction, they preferably consist of grippers 45, said grippers being of the usual form and being mounted on a shaft 46, suitably journaled in the cylinder. The grippers are held open and closed by a spring-rod 47, the construction being a well-known one in the art. The other surface 5 of thecylinder, herein referred to as the sheet-delivering surface, is also provided with sheet holdingand retaining devices, the purpose of which will be hereinafter explained. These devices will also preferably consist of grippers 48, Which are mounted on a shaft 49, journaled in the cylinder and controlled by a spring-rod 50, the construction being similar to that before de scribed. The shafts 46 and 49 are provided with the usual tumbler blocks 51 52, by which the shafts are rocked to move the'grippers in a manner well understood in the art.

Inasmuch as in this machine the sheetholding devices which cooperate With the impression-surface 4 are to take a sheet on each revolution of the cylinder, it is necessary to provide means to remove the sheet from the impression-surface after it is printed and before the surface reaches the sheet-taking point. \Vhile these means may be varied widely in construction, in the machine shown they consist of a cylinder 53, mounted on a shaft 54, suitably supported in the machineframe. This cylinder 53 is provided with sheet taking and holding devices which may be of any suitable form. As shown, they consist of grippers 55, mounted on ashaft 56, suitably journaled in the cylinder. In order to open and close the grippers, the shaft is provided with a rocking block 57, to one end of which is connected the ordinary gripper-controlling spring-rod 58 and the other end of which carries a projection or bowl 59.

The sheet removing cylinder 53 is constructed in the present machine not only to remove the sheet after it is printed from the impression surface of the cylinder of the couple, but also to return the sheet to the sheet-delivering surface of this cylinder. To this end, therefore, it is necessary that the grippers on the cylinder 53 be operated at different points in the revolution of this cylinder-that is to say, they must be closed to take the sheet when the head of the sheet in the revolution of the cylinder of the couple meets them, and they must be opened to deliver the sheet to the grippers of the sheetdelivering surface of the cylinder of the couple when in the revolution of said cylinder the head of the sheet meets these grippers.

Any suitable means may be employed to operate the grippers 48 of the cylinder 53. In the construction shown there is provided a flying cam 60, secured to a collar 61, which is loosely mounted on the shaft 54 of the cylinder. This collar has projecting from it an arm 62, to which is connected a slide-bar 63, engaging a cam-groove in a cam 64, mounted on the shaft 2 of the cylinder of the couple. This cam is so constructed that it will through the connections described move the flying cam 60 into such a position that the bowl 59 on the arm 56 will meet it and the grippers be closed when in the revolution of the two cylinders the head of the sheet is positioned to be taken by the grippers 55. After'the grippers have closed the head of the sheet is taken by the grippers and the sheet is peeled off from the impression-surface and is carried around on the cylinder 53. While the sheet is on the cylinder 53, the cam 64 is operated to position the flying cam, so that the grippers 55 will be opened to deliver the sheet to the grippers 48, which cooperate with the delivering-surface 5 of the cylinder of the couple. It will thus be seen that through the agency of the cylinder 53 and its grippers the sheet after being printed is taken from the impression-surface of the couple and returned to the delivering-surface.

Suitable means must be provided to operate the two sets of grippers on the cylinder of the couple at the proper times--that is, the grippers 45 must be closed to take the sheet from the feed-board or other sheet-presenting means and opened to deliver it to the grippers on the sheet-removing cylinder, and similarly the grippers 48 must be closed to take the sheet from the grippers of the sheet-removing cylinder and opened to deliver it to the front-delivery mechanism. While any suitable means may be employed for this purpose, in the construction shown a set of sliding pins 33 34 is provided, the pin 33 operating in connection with the tumbler-block 51 to close the grippers 45 and the pin 34 operating in connection with the tumbler-block 52 to open the grippers 48 to deliver the sheet to the front-delivery mech anism. In the construction shown these pins are operated from a rocking lever 35, the ends .of which engage the pins in any suitable manner, said lever being mounted on a rock-shaft 36, mounted in suitable bearings 37 on the main frame. The shaft 36 is provided with an arm 38, suitably secured thereto, said arm engaging a cam 39, mounted on the end of the shaft 2 of the cylinder, said cam being so constructed as to rock the shaft 36 and cause the pins to be thrown into and out of the path of the tumbler-blocks once for each revolution of the cylinder. The means for opening the grippers 45 to deliver the sheet to the grippers 55 on the sheetremoving cylinder and the means for closing the grippers 48 to take the sheet from the grippers 55 or the sheet-removing cylinder may also be varied widelyin form. As shown, however, they consist of pins 65 66, these pins being operated from a rockinglever 67,1nountedonashaft68,suitablysupportedin brackets extending from the frame of the machine. The shaft 68 may be operated through any suitable means in order to protrude the pins at proper times, so that they will engage the tumbler-blocks on' the gripper-shafts. In the construction shown the shaft 68 is provided with a crown-gear 69, which meshes with a similar crown-gear 70, mounted on the shaft 36. As the shaft 36 is operated, therefore, to move the pins 33 34 this movement will be communicated to the shaft 68 and the pins 65 66 also operated. A suitable roller or rollers 32 is preferably employed, said roller or rollers operating in connection with the low side of the cylinder to feed the sheet off onto the bridge 10, which is tripped at the proper time, as is well understood, to convey the sheet from the delivering-surface of the cylinder to the tapes of the front-delivery mechanism.

The operation of the construction will be fully understood from the description hereinbefore given.

While the mechanism heretofore described constitutes a preferred form of carrying the invention into effect, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited thereto, and it is to be further understood that certain features of the invention are capable of use independently of other features and that such use is contemplated.

IIC

esaevs What is claimed is- 1. The combination with the cylinder of a printing-couple, said cylinder having a sheetsupporting and a sheet-delivering surface, of sheet-holding devices cooperating with each surface, a front-delivery mechanism, a cylinder having a set of sheet-holding devices, and a movable cam for operating the sheet-holding devices of this cylinder at one point in its revolution to take a sheet from the sheet-supporting surface of the cylinder of the couple and at another point in its revolution to deliver the sheet to the sheet-holding devices of the delivering-surface of the cylinder of the couple, substantially as described.

2. The combination With a cylinder of a printing-couple, said cylinder having a sheetsupporting and a sheet-delivering surface, of sheet-holding devices cooperating with each surface, a set of movable pins for operating these sheet-holding devices, a front-delivery mechanism, a cylinder having a set of sheetholding devices, and a movable cam for operating the sheet-holding devices of this cylinder at one point in its revolution to take a sheet from the sheet-supporting surface of the cylinder of the couple and at another point in its revolution to deliver the sheet to the sheet-holding devices of the deliveringsurface of the cylinder of the couple, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a cylinder of a printing-couple, said cylinder having a sheetsupporting and a sheet-delivering surface, of sheet-holding devices cooperating with each surface, a front-delivery mechanism, a feedboard, a sheet-removing cylinder having a set of sheet=holding devices, a movable cam for operating the sheet-holding devices of this cylinder at one point in its revolution to take a sheet from the sheet-supporting surface of the cylinder of the couple and at another point in its revolution to deliver the sheet to the sheet-holding devices of the delivering surface of the cylinder of the couple, means for operating the sheet-holding devices of the sheet-supporting surface of the cylinder of the couple on each revolution of the cylinder to cause them to take a sheet from the sheetboard and deliver it to the sheet-holding devices of the sheet removing cylinder and means for operating the sheet-holding devices of the sheet-delivery surface of the cylinder of the couple on each revolution to cause them to take a sheet from the sheet-removing cylinder and deliver it to a front-delivery mech anism.

4. The combination With a cylinder of a printing-couple, said cylinder having a sheetsupporting and a sheet-delivering surface, of sheet-holding devices cooperating with each surface, a front-delivery mechanism, a feedboard, means for raising and lowering the feed-board on each revolution of the cylinder, a sheet-removing cylinder having a set of sheet-holding devices, a movable cam for op-. .erating the sheet-holding devices of this cylinder at one point in its revolution to take a sheet from the sheet-supporting surface of the cylinder of the couple and at another point in its revolution to deliver the sheet to the sheet-holding devices of the deliveringsurface of the cylinder of the couple, means for operating the sheet-holding devices of the sheet-supporting surface of the cylinder of the couple on each revolution of the cylinder to cause them to take a sheet-from the sheetboard and deliver it to the sheet-holding devices of the sheet removing cylinder and means for operating the sheet-holding devices of the sheet-delivery surface of the cylinder of the couple on each revolution to cause them to take a sheet from the sheet-removing cylinder and deliver it to a front-delivery mechanism.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM SPALOKHAVER. Witnesses:

F. W. H. CRANE, L. ROEHM. 

